Disturbing Things

Watching "Yo Gabba Gabba" with Alaina last night only to be confronted with "Biz's Beat of the Day". For those of you who aren't on the Yo Gabba Gabba scene, I'm referring to 90s one-hit wonder Biz Markie. Ugh. This was worse than the first time I saw They Might Be Giants on the Disney channel.

We Did It!

In yesterday's post over on HDYDI, I made big confession: I NEVER take the children anywhere alone.

I know, I know. The boys have been around for 10-months; how is that possible? Trust me, it just is. I've never been in the position to HAVE to go anywhere without another adult so I just haven't done it. Also, I'm terrified. And the work involved just packing everyone up and loading them into the car (while herding the dog off to her crate) is enough to deter anyone.

But that has all changed now my friends. I am happy to announce that for the first time last night, I successfully managed to be out of the house - alone - with all three children! We accepted a dinner invitation from Katie and her brood. Dinner time is about the worst time of day for my children. They are tired, they are hungry, they want their mommy and they will fight each other to get to their food/me. But, Katie and her kids are the only people I would feel comfortable accepting this invitation from - at least the first invitation. I knew that if the kids (or I) did lose it, she wouldn't be totally appalled and may, in fact, even invite us to do something else with them again. So, I decided it was time to just go for it.

I am happy to report that even though we all ate about a third of our normal dinner portions, we did ALL eat (myself included!). There were no meltdowns. In fact, there was laughter. My normally stranger-shy toddler was (gasp!) playing without keeping me within her direct line of vision. My sons allowed me to PUT THEM DOWN and WALK AWAY.

This was a great confidence boost. Now that the summer months are here, I am looking forward to finally getting out and about. So many things await: summer concerts on the town green, the park, the zoo. Now, if they'd only contribute to filling the gas tank, we'd be unstoppable.

Another Pale Summer

While I was at work this morning, my cell phone started vibrating on my desk. When this happens it is almost always daycare calling telling me that 1) we are out of milk/food/diapers/wipes and need to bring some more. Now. Or 2) someone is really sick and needs go home. Now.

But today it was my new doctor's office calling. I found this strange as I had just been there and I am not scheduled to return until June 6th. When I left they told me everything was fine. I better not have HIV....

When I answer the nurse sounded pleasantly surprised that I have taken her call and she doesn't have to leave a message. She informs me that the doctors have discussed my "case" and with my history of pre-term deliveries, I am now a top priority. I'm not sure why it took almost a week to move up the ladder of importance, but nonetheless, I'm happy for any special attention I may receive.

She proceeds to tell me that the consensus of the group is that I should start receiving weekly injections of 17P (17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate) starting at 16 weeks. Which would be...this week. Apparently this is the new recommended course of action to try and prevent a repeat pre-term delivery.

I agree that sounds good. Anything to keep baby cooking a little longer. But Daddy raises the red flag. Sure, all of our kids have done their fair share of NICU time but at what *real* consequence. What are the risks of this treatment? Are we setting ourselves up for something worse in the long-term.

Huh. Hadn't thought about that.

So, I hop back onto the phone, this time with my dedicated Aetna nurse/case-worker (a nice service for us "high-risk" preggo ladies) and address my concerns. She makes me feel better. Although she does inform me that a down-side for the mother while receiving these injections is a heightened sensitivity to sunlight. So I'll be spending another summer NOT getting a tan. Oh well. I'll share the children's SPF 1,000 sunscreen and use this as an excuse to wear a funky big hat.

She also told me that my coverage affords me an at-home teaching session, where a nurse can come to our house and show my daring husband how to inject me. That way, I don't have to go to the doctor every week for a 30-second injection. That is, until I have to go to the doctor every week for a cervix check. But, at least it will buy a month (or hopefully two) of convenience.

It looks like I'll start my injections on Thursday or Friday of this week. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that they will help me carry this baby longer than any of the others!

MOOOOOOOOOO

It's official: we are off formula! Woo-hoo!

Aaron and Brady are drinking milk like nobody's business. This is so nice for Mommy's wallet. Although, I am a little bummed that, unlike with formula, I cannot buy milk by the case on Diapers.com and have it shipped directly to my doorstep. Oh well. I guess a little planning ahead never killed anyone.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, Grandma, Mother-in-Law, Godmother and the Godmothers of my three children! During my approximately 2.5 minutes of peace and quiet today, I reflected on my life and how very lucky I have been with the Mothering I have received and the love that my children are now receiving from all the special women in their lives.

What a great gift to be a mother. And as much as I complain about the lack of sleep, illnesses, and crying, I know EXACTLY how blessed I am and I wouldn't trade a second of it. My children truly are my greatest gifts.

Of course, I would be no where in all of this without my husband. Clearly he played a major part in my becoming a mother but there is no way I could be the mother I am without his love and support. I may appear to have my S%*t all together but the amount of work he does behind the scenes is what makes me look so good. And it affords my quality time laying around on the floor with my children instead of having to rush home to 22 loads of laundry and a meal to cook every day. I love you, B.

I hope all you moms out there had as great of a day as I just did. Kiss and hug your kids for me!

Concerts I Won't Be Attending

After last year's disappointment over missing the Police and Genesis reunion concerts, let's see, who I will not be seeing in concert THIS summer due to pregnancy and the inability to stand on my feet for any period of time:

Pearl Jam
Stone Temple Pilots (Reunion!)
R.E.M. - with Modest Mouse
New Kids on the Block (Reunion!)
Poison (probably not as fun anymore anyway now that Rock of Love has aired)

Oh, and just to be cruel, The Police are coming around "one last time" before going back into retirement. And they are coming to my area with Elvis Costello. Grr...

Last year I did manage to get to two nice, sit-down concerts with the boys in-utero: Aaron Lewis (of Staind) does a great acoustic show and I was able to see my boyfriend Josh Groban as well. Will there be a concert I can take my tummy to this year? Perhaps. Maybe the Jack Johnson show is low-key enough? If you have any other suggestions, throw them my way!

For Just $2 a Day...

I often sigh and whine at Daddy for his choices of outfits when he dresses Alaina in the morning. I do not appreciate coming home to find that he has taken her out looking like a homeless person. So I was humbled walking in the door at the end of the day with these two:

I swear, they do own shirts.

But this was a particularly rough day of drooling, messy eating, sweating and peeing at day care. The boys ran through their entire supply of back-up clothing. When I arrived to pick them up at 5:15, they looked like they had just gotten off the courts from a shirts vs. skins pick-up game.

They looked so cute, we let them go topless the rest of the night. They seemed to enjoy it. I believe Aaron even flexed at one point....

Josh Groban is Beautiful

MBFJG was named one of People Magazine's 100 Most Beautiful People!

At this time I'd like to send a big "I told you so" to my husband. Clearly other people agree that his "dorky" look IS appealing. Especially when paired with a voice like Josh's.

This never happens to me

As I have mentioned, I have no maternity clothes left from my previous pregnancies. So, I've been starting over (and, admittedly, I'm NOT sad about it!). So when I found this site that sells adorable t-shirts - www.CafePress.com - I promptly ordered one.

I waivered back and forth between a medium and a large. At the last moment, I went with the large to give myself room to grow. I was so excited to receive my t-shirt until I saw it was microscopic in size. Seriously, the smallest size L maternity t-shirt ever known to man arrived at my door.

But it's still adorable so I went back to www.CafePress.com to find out how to exchange this thing for the XL (grrr....). I filled out the online form and I PROMPTLY received THIS reply:

"Dear Cynthia,
I am sorry the item you received does not fit perfectly. I want you to be 100% satisfied with everything you purchase at CafePress.com. I am ordering you a replacement right away in the new size at no additional charge.

There is no need for a return! I do not want you to incur any additional shipping charges. Please keep the original as our way of saying thanks for shopping at CafePress.com.

If there is anything else I can do for you please let me know."

What? Are they serious? I can't tell you how this little email about a T-SHIRT just brightened my gloomy, rainy day. Needless to say I'll be bookmarking www.CafePress.com and using it in the future for all my cute t-shirt needs. And you should too. Just remember to order a size bigger than you think you should!

14 Week Appointment

Today was a bittersweet day. I left the OB who I trust and respect and actually like as a person which was sad. But I also met my new practice and got set up to deliver this baby in Massachusetts which makes me very happy.

I arrived 10 minutes late to my appointment due to the fact that I had to pull over and pee on my way there. I met the nurse and stepped on the scale to find out I have finally gained some weight (4 lbs in three weeks). We then tried to make sense of the stack of records I brought with me from Dr. M. Since there appeared to be no (chrono)logical order to them, this was a bit confusing. Finally we found the ultrasound results from April and put them on top. We could not find my bloodwork results, so I was sent to the lab to have that re-drawn. So, that makes HIV test #7. No one is more confident of their status than I at this point!

Anyway, I then met with the first of four doctors in the practice (and the only female). She was certainly competant and not unpleasant. But not the warmest person either. She flipped through my records and figured it would be much faster for me to give a verbal history directly to her which I did. At the end she asked if I wanted a vaginal birth this time and I told her YES, no question, and then held my breath for her response....

"That should be no problem. I don't see any reason why you couldn't do that. You're an excellent VBAC candidate." WHEW. Huge sigh of relief!

We ended the visit listening to the baby's heartbeat (perfect) and discussed next steps. I will go back in four weeks for my "big" ultrasound and to have my cervix measured. THAT'S JUNE 6TH if you're keeping track at home! Depending on what my cervix looks like, we'll talk about how often I should be seen from that point on.

As I walked out she said "I hope this will be a very boring pregnancy for you compared to last time." From your mouth to God's ears, lady!